VA - The Force (1974)

Jan & Dean’s “Laurel & Hardy” is a bizarre, 1968 45 release that’s included here for reasons completely unknown. Bolstered by an electric sitar and a psychedelicized arrangement, the song had never appeared on an LP before showing up on The Force. Dr. Demento (Barry Hansen), who compiled and annotated this collection, calls it “an exquisite rarity,” and one can’t help but think the good Doctor included the oddity here solely for his own amusement. The song wouldn’t surface again until the 2010 ‘lost album’ issue of Jan & Dean’s Carnival Of Sound. The liners also explain how Ron Wood’s I’ve Got My Own Album To Do got its title. Turns out it was a Mick Jagger utterance, exhaled as he lent his talents (along with Keith Richards) to the LP’s sessions, represented here by “I Can Feel The Fire.” Bachman-Turner-Bachman is actually the band Brave Belt, renamed when their second album, Brave Belt II was re-released by WB with the clumsy introductory title, Bachman-Turner-Bachman As Brave Belt. All this name-gaming was taking place to piggyback off the band’s even newer name, Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Phew. That’s Ry Cooder playing mandolin and slide guitar on the contribution from John Sebastian. “Hands,” from country singer Debbie Dawn (penned by Ian Whitcomb), was another 45RPM-only release when first issued on The Force. Mike McGear, Paul McCartney’s brother, shows up with “Norton,” a track produced and co-written by Paulie. Other cool entries include Maria Muldaur’s “It Ain’t The Meat, It’s The Motion,” Kenny Rankin’s “In The Name Of Love” and Gregg Allman’s “Double Cross.” As usual, there’s plenty more. Note the irreverent anti-authoritarian dig hidden on the front cover, “Genuine Pigskin.” The back cover’s Dragnet parody was penned by future screenwriter, Charlie Haas (Over The Edge, Tex, Matinee).